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Friday, 5 August 2011

If you look down Everton's squad it is hard to see why their fans are so restless at present.

They have a team packed full of internationals and promising youngsters, with one of the best young managers in the game at the helm.

But look beyond that and you will see the fragile nature of the current side. Even the most mild of injury crisis would leave the squad down to the bare bones,

Plus their lack of an out and out goalscorer – their Achilles heel on several occasions last season – as well as the lavish spending of some of their near rivals and it starts to become clear why Toffees fans are so concerned.

The board run a tight ship at Goodison, and admirably so. The restrictions of their ageing Goodison Park home and the lack of Champions League cash means they simply do not have the income streams to compete with their top six opponents. Added to that the debts racked up in previous regimes and the bank's reluctance to offer any more credit and it appears the club have no spare cash to offer David Moyes.

The fans who watch football live at Goodison were initially accepting of this and applauded the prudent policy – but that was in 2008. Since then no player has been signed without a significant player leaving.

They fear that the club is stagnating and although the team remains competitive, without investment ageing players will not be replaced and the club will go on the slide – their Premier League betting odds increase with each passing transfer window. The nightmare scenario for the fans is if David Moyes, decides he has had enough. He is largely credited with keeping the team competitive and getting the best out of his small squad, as well as picking up bargains from the lower leagues and turning them into internationals.

If Moyes goes, then the decline could become rapid, which is what is stoking the fears among the restless Goodison faithful.